Former House Speaker and re-elected Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez is determined to put an end to the business practice of placing goods and services on promotional sale as a way of skirting around the law providing price discounts for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

This was gathered after the leader of the 19th Congress made an early refiling of his bill that provides for the grant of the discount privileges of elderly folk and PWDs from on top of any promotional offer or discount given by business establishments.

The bill entitled “An Act Enhancing the discount on the Purchase of Goods and Services of Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities” seeks to amend Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010 that exempts services and goods under promotional discounts from the mandatory discounts it extends to seniors and PWD’s.

This provision of RA 9994 has become one of the main items of complaints from various senior citizens organizations in the country because it allowed business establishments a reason to avoid granting discounts privileges.

“This bill aims to preserve the preferential treatment accorded to senior citizens and persons with disabilities by mandating the State to adopt an integrated approach on how to make essential programs and other social services available to them in an attainable and convenient manner,” said Romualdez, who is expected to seek another term as speaker in the oncoming 20th Congress.

Romualdez acknowledged the many controversies triggered by the provision of RA 9994 that frees services and goods under promotion from seniors and PWD discounts.

He explained that the proposed measure is aimed at putting an “end or to quell the usual quarrels between senior citizens and PWDs, on one hand, and business establishments, on the other, as to the correct interpretation of the law.”

The former House official is among the principal authors of Republic Act No. 10754 that extends similar discount privileges extended to senior citizens under RA 9994.



Both laws makes it mandatory for business establishments to extend 20 percent discount privileges on goods and services. The beneficiaries are also given exemption from payment of 12 percent value added tax for the purchases.

“This is in line with the State policy of promoting a just and dynamic social order that shall ensure the nation’s prosperity and free its people from poverty,” he and his co-authors, Reps. Andrew Julian K. Romualdez and Jude A. Acidre said.

The bill: “The discount granted to senior citizens and persons with disabilities, including the twenty percent (20%) discount and exemption from the value-added tax (VAT) on goods and services, or the special discount on purchase of basic necessities and prime commodities, as provided under Section 4 of Republic Act (RA) No. 7432, otherwise known as “Senior Citizens Act,” as amended, and Section 32 of RA No. 7277, otherwise known as “Magna Carta for Disabled Persons with Disability,” as amended, shall be in addition to any prevailing promotional offers or discounts extended by business establishments, if any, has been provided, but in no way that it will require presentation of booklets in the procurement of goods.”

The measure further states: “In no case shall a promotion or discount offered by a business establishment to the general public be considered in compliance with Section 4 of RA No. 7432, as amended, and 14 Section 32 of RA No. 7277, as amended.”

“To balance the interest between the two parties, this measure provides that the 20 discount for senior citizens or persons with disabilities applied on certain goods and services, the input tax attributable to the VAT- exempt sale to senior citizens and persons with disabilities, and the special discount on basic necessities and prime commodities, shall be treated as part of deductible expense pursuant to Section 34 of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended,” said Romualdez.